Caputh...explain how an ethnic group that represents a small percentage of a population winds up over-represented in lucrative professions.

Touch that!

An interesting question and one which, I suppose has to be answered by looking back at German history. Although the Holy Roman Empire, like most "states" in Europe contained many antisemites, the divided nature of the "state" prevented official antisemitic policies from being enacted from above at a state level (as in e.g. the nation state England, where the Jews were expelled). One of the few antisemtic policies that was in operation throughout what became Germany after 1871 was the restriction of Jews to particular professions, generally money-lending. This was a profession that Christians were not allowed to practice, but can, as one might guess, prove fairly profitable. With the emancipation of Jewry, which began after 1871, many Jews were thus financially able to provide a decent education for their children and thus they were able, as new fields of employment opened up to them, move into the above mentioned lucrative professions.Actually, by the time the Nazi is came to power, it is, IMO, difficult to describe the Jews as an ethnic group at all, although the Nazis attempted to do so, as many were no longer practising Jews, only spoke German and were indistinguishable from Germans. The only difference between them and most Germans was the fact that their Grandparents were practising Jews. Although the Nazis ranted on about "race" and "blood" a lot, the only practicable way to distinguish the Jews from the Germans was to demand that all inhabitants of Germany provide a family tree, in which the religion of the ancestors was described.

On a side note, usury or the charging of interest was considered a sin by the Catholic Church until near the end of WWI (1918?). They knew it would cost a lot to refinance everything after the terrible losses of all kinds, especially in Europe after the war to end all wars... so they agrred a way had to be allowed for credit to be lent... the church knew in that new world they could not do it all...

...and speaking of population, if there were only 250,000 Jews in Germany in 1934, how could the Nazis have exterminated six million just a decade later? Yes, Jews from occupied countries, but how many could that have been, if there were only a quarter million in Germany?

Here is one estimate of the number murdered and where they came from:The first number is the pre-war Jewish population (1933 figures) , the second the estimated murdered.

Jesus was full of crap when he declared that he was the "way and the light". By the time he was saying that, he was probably suffering from acquired narcissism.

Jesus said "turn the other cheek". As a "Christian nation" this is what we should have done after 9/11/2001...instead we invaded weak "Muslim nations".

Now we have perma-war.

Loving his enemies got him crucified, but he died without blood on his hands.

We all die. Why do we think the example of his life has made him a legend and a savior? Forget the baloney about dying for our sins and God loving the world so much he sacrificed his only begotten son...what Jesus did was show us the way of peace.

They can't slaughter us all, as Ghandi demonstrated. Getting to know some of the posters here, I really think they would kill everyone that did not think like they do, because they think the world would be a better place.

But an aggressor is not revered. A martyr is only a tool. A man that seeks truth and justice without violence is an ideal, and while it is no wonder that he might die at the hand of violent men, there is no doubt that his example is the elevated human.

We must love our enemies because they are us, and we are them. We must understand why they hate us, and why we hate them, and realize that in our hatred we are very much alike.

If we simply fight them, there will be blood. That is sin. If we love and understand them, and come to terms with them, blood will not be spilled, and we will have arrived at a higher level of existence.

That is not to say we shouldn't keep an eye on them. That is not to say we should not defend ourselves. That is all and well with the will to survive.

Jesus was full of crap when he declared that he was the "way and the light". By the time he was saying that, he was probably suffering from acquired narcissism.

Jesus said "turn the other cheek". As a "Christian nation" this is what we should have done after 9/11/2001...instead we invaded weak "Muslim nations".

Now we have perma-war.

Loving his enemies got him crucified, but he died without blood on his hands.

We all die. Why do we think the example of his life has made him a legend and a savior? Forget the baloney about dying for our sins and God loving the world so much he sacrificed his only begotten son...what Jesus did was show us the way of peace.

They can't slaughter us all, as Ghandi demonstrated. Getting to know some of the posters here, I really think they would kill everyone that did not think like they do, because they think the world would be a better place.

But an aggressor is not revered. A martyr is only a tool. A man that seeks truth and justice without violence is an ideal, and while it is no wonder that he might die at the hand of violent men, there is no doubt that his example is the elevated human.

We must love our enemies because they are us, and we are them. We must understand why they hate us, and why we hate them, and realize that in our hatred we are very much alike.

If we simply fight them, there will be blood. That is sin. If we love and understand them, and come to terms with them, blood will not be spilled, and we will have arrived at a higher level of existence.

That is not to say we shouldn't keep an eye on them. That is not to say we should not defend ourselves. That is all and well with the will to survive.

The Mystery Man came overAn' said: "Jesus is fulla shite!"He said, for a nominal service charge,I could reach nervonna t'niteIf I was ready, willing 'n ableTo pay him his regular feeHe would drop all the rest of his pressing affairsAnd devote His Attention to meBut I said . . .Look here brother,Who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?(Now who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?)Look here brother,Don't you waste your time on me

The Mystery Man got nervousAn' he fidget around a bitHe reached in the pocket of his Mystery RobeAn' he whipped out a philosophy kit

Thank you for the friendly comments Phydeaux, Rope and Kiirk. One number I would like to correct (i.e. a mistake of memory on my part) is that the number of Jews in Germany in 1933 was over 500,000 and it wasn't until 1939 (not 1934 as I previously stated) that that number dropped to around a quarter of a million as a result of emigration. Sorry, my mistake.

_________________"I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly."

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